BUNT/FOUL BALL

Rule 5.09(a)(4):

• A pitched ball striking a bat as the batter is pulling it back after initially squaring to bunt is a foul ball (assuming the ball goes into foul territory).
• The definition of a bunt is already included in the Official Baseball Rules. The purpose of this interpretation is to clarify that with a two-strike count, a pitched ball that strikes a batter’s bat as the bat is being pulled back after initially squaring to bunt and goes into foul territory is a foul ball. The batter must, in the umpire’s judgment, intentionally meet the ball with the bat, causing it to become foul on a two-strike count to be considered a third strike.